St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-11
FAITHS FOUNDATION.
Laid ON the Beautiful Belief q
ssChrist Is AriSen.',

Oh the Oh
s"Christ Is Arisen.''
At Trinity Norwegian Lutheran church
Rev. NJ. Falk Glertsen preached from
Mark VI. 1-S-"Chrst Is Arsen:" In
the stiffness and solitude of the garden at the
foot of GOigotha was the first Easter festival
celebrated. The open grave in the rock is
the church, the angel is the Easter herald.
the women the first Easter congregation.
What takes place there in the secluded soli-
tude Of the garden is now proclaimed with
joy over the whole world. In towering
cathedrals and humble chapels the children
of God greet each other in all languages
and tongues with the tidings of joy. Christ
is arisen! and all the victories of Christ and
His church of the children of God over the
enemies of their salvation are compre
hended in this one great victory. He is
arisen! He was crucified, dead and buried,
and behold, He lives, arisen the third day
again from the dead; and the prayers and
praise of the believers meet the great
Shepherd as he VIGOROUSLY returns from the
dead. and now lives forever. We praise
and worship Thee! and everything in the
church of God points to the open grave, to
Christ cructied and arisen. Our Sunday,
the arisen Lords day, our churches. the
house Of our arisen Lord. with its towers
pointed heavenward filled with the songs
of JOY. the sacred office OF the ministry, the
word of God, our holy baptism, by which
we put on Christ. the Lords supper,
all the works of the church, its
institutions OF charity, its missions all, all
proclaim not only Easter morning, but
every Sunday, yea every day: Christ is
arisen! II know that my Redeemer liveth!'
| ODly nj tho Hicoin1ac of ba
resurrectiou-Within closed doors. fearing
everything and everybody, trembling at the
fall of a leaf-look at them after the resur-
rection. fearing nothing, not the greatest
pains. singing in prisons, rejoicing when
scourged. facing death with uplifted face.
What has changed them, made lions of
lambs? "Christ lives. He is arisen. He
reigns." Would these men bear false wit
ness? Peter on the day of pentecost, Paul
on the market place in Athens, j ohm in his
beautiful epistle? Would they give up
their life for lie? Preach it year after
year, forsake all for it, suffer all for it, die
for it? They were fully and truly convinced
that Christ had risen. On this foundation
rests the church of Christ. They build
monuments over the graves of great NEIL
No man has such monument as this. The
living church of God is built over the open
grave in the garden. Could it have stood
the test of twenty centuries, the storms of
persecution after persecution, if the founda-
ton had been rotten? 1t is the experience
OF the believing heart. [ know that my
nedeeiiler liSeth 5 In the closet. in the
church, III amy sufferings when l have
sinneds when weep, He lives, He comes
to me. as a mother comtorteth her children,
So He comforteth me.
1t is the foundation of the Christian
hope. We go to the grave. To the grave
of our loved ones, to our own grave. The
grave is dark. But over the grave are
whispered to us from the grave in the gar
den words of comfort; the angel of resur-
rection comes from that grave and hovers
over our graves with the glad tidings
Christ is risen!" Fear not. He liveth, you
shall live. you shall see Him as He is, you
shall meet Him on the great Easter morn
ing, Hallelujah.